Quitting Your Day Job to Write Full Time

Follow your dreams, but go in armed with knowledge

So young, so naive. I took this photo with photographer Amanda Plavich in 2011 (I was 27 years old!) to celebrate selling my steampunk novel, Something Strange & Deadly.

@Kristen asked: how did you manage to/what were the considerations in leaving your day job? I'm writing in the hopes of a career shift from a very type-A field (not academia, but I sympathize), and wonder if it will ever truly be possible. I'm cool with leaving the safety net and developing a more ad hoc/freelance career, but I'm just curious how others make it work (if not already covered in a prior post).

This is a hard question, and I fear I’ve put it off because the answer is so individual. What I personally am comfortable with, you might not be.

And listen, I have been honest about this before: I quit my day job way too soon. I was “high” on my first book sale, which seemed like so much money compared to my scientist pay. I was (very naively) under the impression that that first book deal was only the beginning.

And sure, it was only the beginning. I have since sold more books and ridden the roller coaster of highs and lows that is traditional publishing. But I also have never hit a success level that guarantees an income for me in the future.

So basically, Kristen, although I can’t make a decision for you, I can at least give you some knowledge and insight I wish I’d had thirteen years ago.

Here’s what I wish I’d understood:

1. There is no safety net.

2. Payment per book ≠ annual income.

3. Success isn’t guaranteed.

Let’s dig into each point a little more deeply, yes?

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1. There is no safety net.

This might seem obvious, but it can be easy to forget. Especially if you have instant (seeming) success. Maybe a big advance for your debut or a bestseller on your first release.

Unfortunately, while great for you in the moment, those markers don’t guarantee much in this industry.

I have a disheartening number of friends who are New York Times bestsellers, but they are barely getting by financially now. I can think of several off the top of my head who have recently returned to day jobs.¹

Unless you have a family you can lean on, a partner who can financially support you (and if you’re in the US, a partner with health insurance also helps!), or you have a lot of savings squirreled away, I cannot emphasize enough: there is no safety net in the publishing business, traditional or indie.

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2. Payment per book ≠ annual income

Another way to think of this is that your book advance is not the same thing as a salary.

This was actually where I screwed up the most as a new author. To me, a 3-book deal with a $60,000 advance per book seemed like gobs and gobs of money. (To be fair, it still seems that.) In my head, I saw that equivalent to a $60,000 annual salary.

But no. That isn’t how advances actually work. You can read more about how advances are split up here (and note, it’s a constantly changing equation!). I also get into much more detail about my income in that post as well.

But here’s the general idea: my payments were divided into three portions per book.

1. 1/3 of the advance when I signed the book’s contract,

2. 1/3 when I delivered the finished manuscript

3. 1/3 when the book hit stores.

That meant the advance payment for Something Strange & Deadly actually looked like this:

• 2011: $80,000

• 2012: $40,000

• 2013: $40,000

• 2014: $20,000

Now—and this is so, so, so important: you must also factor in your agent’s fees (15%) and self-employment taxes if you’re in the US (this is ~30%).

Now here is what my annual incomes actually looked after those two cuts were removed:

• 2011: $47,600

• 2012: $23,800

• 2013: $23,800

• 2014: $11,900

Clearly, this was not a $60,000/year salary!